Pinckney leads Yotes to 3rd-straight CCC Tourney title - Mar 4, 2020
Playing in his final home game in a record-setting College of Idaho career, Talon Pinckney (5'10''-PG) scored 23 points, leading the Coyotes to their third-straight Cascade Conference Tournament, presented by U.S. Bank, title, outlasting eighth-ranked Oregon Tech, 82-77, inside a raucous J.A. Albertson Activities Center. The senior helped the No. 1-ranked Coyotes (30-3) extend their school-record win streak to 24 games and joined OIT as the only team to win 3-or-more tourney titles in a row. C of I improved to 18-1 at home in 2019-20 - the most home wins in a season in program history - with the Yotes clinching their third-straight 30-win season. Pinckney capped the night inside the final minute - as the Hustlin' Owls (26-7) cut a Coyote lead to 77-75 on a Seth Erickson (6'3''-G) fade away jumper. The point-guard milked the shot clock to five, before draining a step-back 22-footer to give C of I a five-point lead. Tech had a chance to tie inside the final 10 seconds, but Erickson missed a contested 3-pointer, with Ricardo Time (6'2''-G) grabbing the rebound and hitting the resulting free throws to clinch the victory. C of I made 12-of-24 3-point baskets in the win - including 8-of-12 in the first half - but OIT dominated the foul line, making a school-record 28-of-29 free throws - including all 14 in the second half. Tech led 8-6 in the first two minutes, but Nate Bruneel converted a 3-point play and both Time and Pinckney hit triples in a 13-0 run to give the Yotes a 19-8 lead. C of I led 27-16 midway through the frame, before Mitchell Fink (6'1''-G) scored six-straight points in a 10-1 run to get the visitors back in the game - taking the lead at 32-31 on two Harrison Steiger free throws. Pinckney answered with a long 3-pointer, starting a 13-2 Coyote run, helping C of I to a 44-36 lead at the half. The Yotes extended the lead to 54-41 early in the second half, before Fink rallied Tech - as the All-American hit a 3-pointer and a pair of mid-range jumpers to cut the margin in half - with Garret Albrecht (6'9''-F) draining two free throws with 4:54 remaining to pull OIT even at 69-69. Pinckney canned a jumper on C of I's next possession - giving the Coyotes the lead for good - despite Tech's late efforts. Bruneel scored 17 points in the win, with Time adding 14 points and six rebounds for the Coyotes. Ivory Miles-Williams scored eight points with six rebounds - as the C of I bench outscored the OIT reserves, 19-4. Fink, the all-time leading scorer in OIT history, scored 26 points with five assists in his final game in the Northwest. Both Steiger and Erickson scored 17 points - with Erickson leading all players with 12 rebounds. The Hustlin' Owls finished with a 35-32 rebound edge, but made just 3-of-14 3-pointers. With the C of I win, Southern Oregon claims the CCC's second automatic bid to the NAIA Championships, with OIT set to receive one of the seven at-large bids to next week's tournament. The 32-team tournament pairings and bracket will be released tomorrow by the NAIA Office at 4 p.m. NOTES: Jake Bruner had five points and three rebounds in his final home game - his 133rd game in his career - one off the all-time C of I record set by Emanuel Morgan from 2014-17it is the first time C of I has won 3-straight postseason titles since 1984-86, when the Yotes won 3-consecutive District II crowns.
Courtesy of cascadeconference.org
Cascade Tournament Final: College of Idaho - Oregon Tech 82-77 Cascade Tournament Semifinals: College of Idaho - Eastern Oregon 84-57 Southern Oregon - Oregon Tech 65-70
Player of the Year: Mitchell Fink (6'1''-G) of Oregon Tech Defensive Player of the Year: Talon Pinckney (5'10''-PG) of Idaho Coll. Newcomer of the Year: Kiandre Gaddy (6'5''-SG) of Walla Walla Coach of the Year: Colby Blaine of Idaho Coll.
Blaine
